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RDH = Lifesaver

Author: Dental Geek
04.30.10 / 2:27 pm

One of the reasons that I am a proud Dental Geek lies in the fact that an RDH has saved my life twice!
Ann Battrell, the Executive Director of the ADHA, is a dear friend of mine. We were having a quick lunch in San Antonio along the River Walk and catching up with each other. When Ann and I get involved in a discussion, good luck to anyone else getting a word in edgewise! We were engaged in a heated conversation when I apparently inhaled a french fry whole. I stood up from the table and told Ann that I was choking. That’s all I remember!  Apparently, I passed out and took out three other lunch tables in my fall to the ground. I came to shortly after only to find Ann behind me engaged in a Heimlich maneuver. She was telling me that I was OK and to just breathe. My first question to her was, “How does my hair look?” See what a lack of oxygen can do to a person? Now, mind you, I am 6’4″ and 230 lbs. Ann is five-foot-nothing and weighs about a buck. Her training led her to a quick response, and the french fry dislodged and shot across the restaurant. Thanks, Ann, for saving my life!

Another RDH saved my life: My personal RDH, Hertha. I was in for my routine cleaning about 8 years ago. Hertha and I were catching up on each other’s lives when she asked me to rinse in the cuspidor. I did as directed and filled the cuspidor with a large amount of bright-red blood and saliva. Hertha saw my shock and surprise and simply stated, It’s the smoking, honey you have to quit. With that, she went to her magical drawer and pulled out a coupon and two pieces of Nicorette® Chewing Gum. This was not a Nicorette® promotion; it was something Hertha did for her smoking patients. We talked about the effects of smoking on my oral health and overall health. I quit smoking the next day.
I humbly raise my geek glass and toast the Hygiene profession they save lives on a daily basis.

Dental Geek

Dental Geek

3 responses to “RDH = Lifesaver”

  1. Congratulations on not only being a dental geek, but for helping to elevate the status of dental geeks everywhere. Yes, I too am a dental geek and have been proudly proclaiming my fondness for this as yet untreatable condition for many years. With all due respect, I consider myself the original dental geek. What’s my definition of a dental geek? Someone who is not a dentist themselves, yet spends spends every waking hour involved in all things dental and yes, even dreams of dental stuff ( a sleep disorder to be sure). However, I am willing to yield my claim to being “The” dental geek to you if you promise to do justice to the title. I’ll be watching and commenting…and I know where you live.
    Respectfully, dentinsider

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